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Soparnik (Dalmatian Swiss Chard Pie)
Two paper-thin sheets of unleavened dough around raw Swiss chard, red onion and parsley dressed with olive oil, baked flat until crisp and brushed with garlic and olive oil.
Croatian (Dalmatian) · medium · serves 8
prep 40 min · cook 20 min · plus 1 h hands-off time
~370 cal · 7g protein · 50g carbs · 16g fat · 2g fiber · 1g sugars · 2g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Soparnik is the proudest dish of Poljica, the hilly country between Split and Omiš on the Dalmatian coast. It is a large, flat, round pie of two very thin sheets of plain dough with a filling of raw Swiss chard, red onion and parsley dressed with olive oil and salt. Traditionally it is baked on the stone floor of the open hearth, the komin, covered with hot embers and ash, for fifteen or twenty minutes, then turned, brushed clean and rubbed with garlic chopped in olive oil before being cut into diamonds.
It is said to date back to around the thirteenth century, and its name and some of its vocabulary show the influence of the East. Once a food of fasting days and feast days alike, it is now protected: the way it is made is listed as intangible cultural heritage of Croatia, and Poljički soparnik received European Protected Geographical Indication status in 2016. The village of Dugi Rat holds a festival in its honour.
At home it is baked in a very hot oven. The dough is rolled as thin as possible, and the chard goes in raw, so the leaves steam inside the crust as it bakes.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 8
- 500 g plain flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 230 ml warm water
- 20 ml extra-virgin olive oil (for the dough)
- 600 g Swiss chard
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil (for the filling)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil (to finish)
Instructions
- 1Mix the flour with a pinch of salt, add the warm water and knead into a smooth, soft dough. Divide it in two, rub each ball with a little of the dough oil, cover and leave to rest for 1 hour.
- 2Wash the chard and dry it very well. Cut the leaves into thin strips and the stalks into small pieces. Put them in a large bowl with the onion and parsley.✎ Chef’s noteThe chard must be dry. Traditional cooks wash it the day before and let it drain overnight, because wet leaves turn the bottom crust soggy.
- 3Heat the oven to its highest setting, 250C (480F), with a large baking tray inside. Roll each ball of dough out on a floured surface into a very thin round, about 40 cm across.
- 4Lay one sheet on a piece of baking paper. Just before assembling, toss the chard with the filling oil and the rest of the salt and spread it evenly over the dough, leaving a 3 cm border. Cover with the second sheet and press and roll the edges together to seal. Prick the top a few times with a fork.
- 5Slide the pie on its paper onto the hot tray and bake for about 20 minutes, until crisp and golden with brown spots.
- 6Mix the garlic with the finishing olive oil and a pinch of salt and brush it all over the hot soparnik. Cover it with a clean cloth for a few minutes to soften slightly, then cut into diamonds and serve warm or at room temperature.
Poljica (Dalmatia) tradition, EU protected geographical indication.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Dalmatia. Peka is a way of cooking rather than a dish. Meat or octopus and vegetables go into a shallow pan under a heavy bell lid, embers are heaped over the top, and it sits for a couple of hours with the lid lifted once to turn things. It needs an open hearth, which is why it stays a home and tavern thing.
🗺️
Croatia. The peka is a bell of iron or clay set over meat and potatoes and buried under embers so the heat comes from every direction at once, the same principle as the sac used across the Balkans. Istria's white truffles are a genuine and documented claim, dug in the Motovun forest in autumn, and they sit in a region that also produces olive oil and prosciutto.
🌍
Europe. European cooking is built on the land and the seasons, wheat, butter, and cured pork in the north; olive oil, tomatoes, and seafood around the Mediterranean; preserved vegetables and hearty stews through long winters. Centuries of peasant tradition, guild craft, and royal courts refined techniques from French mother sauces to Italian fresh pasta and Central European baking. Regional identity runs remarkably deep, with a single dish often changing from one valley to the next.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
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Good to know
You’ll need: Oven.
Storing it: Store in an airtight container. Most keep 2 to 3 days at room temperature, and longer refrigerated.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Soparnik (Dalmatian Swiss Chard Pie)?
Two paper-thin sheets of unleavened dough around raw Swiss chard, red onion and parsley dressed with olive oil, baked flat until crisp and brushed with garlic and olive oil.
Where does Soparnik (Dalmatian Swiss Chard Pie) come from?
Soparnik (Dalmatian Swiss Chard Pie) is a Croatian (Dalmatian) dish from Dalmatia, Croatia.
Can Soparnik (Dalmatian Swiss Chard Pie) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Soparnik (Dalmatian Swiss Chard Pie) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Soparnik (Dalmatian Swiss Chard Pie) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Soparnik (Dalmatian Swiss Chard Pie) take to make?
About 2 h in all: 40 minutes prep and 20 minutes cooking, plus 1 h of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 8.
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